Breaking Free

Breaking Free is the most fashionable rendezvous to date. Not only was it held one of the metro’s fashion hubs, The RAMP Crossings Glorietta 4, but the topics and speakers were all into the topic of beauty, fashion, and self-confidence.  Breaking Free was about letting go of your fears, embrace your personhood, and face the future with hope. It was held on September 24, 2011, Saturday.

 Excitement could be seen from the Belle de Jour girls as the place was bathe in gold light, provided by the chandeliers. The venue had a Victorian-inspired motif. It was truly an inspiring place to be.

 The event started with a game of Human Bingo. It was an opportunity for the Bellas to greet each other and make new BDJ friends. Other than that, I was glad to know that some of us share the same fears. And that I had companions in conquering it.

The first speaker was Ms. Katrina Dy. The talk was entitled, “Rise up in Style”. She focused on encouraging us to be positive throughout life. She also shared some of her life’s challenges and how she used them to succeed. According to her, there is a reason for each setback and it might be a signal to do a reset in one’s life. That is the most important lesson I picked up from her talk.

Next in line was Ms. Jasmine Mendiola, who was also our host for the event. Her talk being called “Game Face On!”, taught us girls about different skin types. She also gave us some tips on what colors to use for different occasions. Furthermore, she discussed about different attires that go with it.  Her talk provided a good background on applying makeup, especially for me who has no knowledge of applying makeup at all. 

We were given a short break after Jasmine’s talk. Thankfully, merienda was provided by Belle de Jour’s sponsors. There were hotdog and bacon on stick, embutido with melted cheese topping, and squidball and meatball on stick. Drinks were provided by Minute Maid Pulpy Orange. Yum!

It was then Ms. Kris Bacani’s turn in front. I was very privileged to know that she is a professional makeup artist from the MakeUp Designory (MUD). I wanted to be her canvas for the makeup demo, as much as other Bellas would. But in the end, Sheena was chosen to be the lucky girl. Ms. Bacani demonstrated how to do the light office/ day makeup. She then gave us a tip on how to do smokey-eyes for a night-out.

 Here is Sheena’s look after the makeup session. Her makeup complemented her perfectly.

The last speaker was Ms. Donna Cuna-Pita. Entitled, “Dress Your Shape”, she discussed about different body types. She further gave us tips on knowing our body’s assets and use it to our advantage. I liked her talk so much because it was about accepting your own body. Ms. Donna was very encouraging. She gave us girls confidence to be fashionable, no matter what our shape is.

All of the girls went home with prizes and goodie bags from the sponsors. I for one won a Malin+Goetz Facial Serum from Browhaus. I was very happy to receive my goodies, which had a notepad,  ballpen and poster from GSK’s Laban ni Maria campaign; Love button from Heima; shampoo sachet from Sunsilk; coupons from Red Box, Michelis, and SM GTW; Athena Milk  and CarbiTrim Iced Tead from Unilab and a privilege card from Ace Water Spa.

This event was exclusively for Belle de Jour Power Planner members. I got an invitation for this event by answering the question listed below:

Q: What inspires you the most when you're down and overwhelmed?

A: Reading inspirational books like the ones authored by Paulo Coelho picks me up during those days of sadness. My favorite of his books is The Alchemist and the line that never fails to make me happy is "When you want something with all of your heart, the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." That alone gives me the courage to conquer my fear and move on. I know that the "universe" mentioned in the book is about God's omnipotence. So, all I need to do is to trust in God and it makes me secured and happy.

I am very thankful to the BDJ girls who organized this event, to Darlyn, Gelli, Jasmine, and other girls who worked behind the scene. And to my fellow Bellas, hope to see you soon. (Obviously, I am excited for the BDJ Fair on Oct. 16 –Yay!)